Performance Tracking > 2009 Tax Websites > Introduction WebSitePulse 2009 Tax Performance and Uptime ReportWebSitePulse is launching its traditional yearly campaign to monitor thirteen of the most popular tax websites for the 2009 Tax season. The measurement results show the performance levels and the availability of the websites related to the increased Internet traffic and e-file online services during the selected period. This information is helpful to analyze the End Users' experience, the reliability of the IT infrastructure of the Tax and e-file websites, as well as their estimated losses in case of downtime and unavailability of critical web pages, web systems, network devices, and web applications. Continuous website monitoring for all fourteen websites covers the period April 05 through April 15, 2009. The reports and the charts are updated daily, displaying the results from the previous day and for the entire monitoring period to the current date. The WebSitePulse Performance Reports measure Website Uptime and Website Response Time as the most important metrics for the availability and the reliability of any web-based operation, critical for the End Users' overall online experience. The 2009 Tax Performance & Uptime Reports reflect not only the performance of the websites home pages, but measure a complete web transaction representative for the End Users' interactions with a website. Measurements of the multi-step web transactions are made every 15 minutes, simultaneously from 3 different US-based monitoring locations. The WebSitePulse advanced monitoring system has automated false alarm prevention and error verification controls that ensure the reliability of the measurement results. The Reports reflect the most common website performance criteria: response time and availability - but in-debt analytical information is also collected and stored in the WebSitePulse system for future references. The WebSitePulse Application Monitoring service is used to collect data and produce the Report. According to comScore the traffic to tax sites surged in the beginning of the year as season began. January marked the beginning of tax season driving millions of Americans to the Tax category in preparation of filing their 2008 returns. The category witnessed a 176-percent gain to 24.7 million visitors, making it the top-gaining category for the month. In March '09 The Internal Revenue Service announced that the number of visitors to IRS.gov is up more than 24 percent compared with last year, and more taxpayers rely on the Internal Revenue Service’s online resources to get answers to tax questions on the economic recovery legislation and to prepare and file tax returns accurately and timely. More than 138 million taxpayers already visited the IRS Web site this year, up from about 111 million from the same period last year. WebSitePulse will be publishing the results from the Tax Websites Performance and Uptime Report after the 6th of April. This page will display detailed daily reports including uptime, performance and availability. |